


Two ADAs Meet in a Barber Shop

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: AU, But I'm still counting it, First Meeting, M/M, Pre-Relationship, meet cute, prompts fest, well until about the last ten lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22778479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: Rafael's in for a shave, a haircut, and a manicure, and the newest ADA of Manhattan appears to be joining him (prompts: two ADAs trying to steal a case from each other; haircuts).
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 82
Collections: Barisi Valentine Prompt Challenge 2020





	Two ADAs Meet in a Barber Shop

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to M for the beta!

"Mr. Barba, I'm surprised to see you here." 

Rafael turns slowly, making sure to keep his face blank as he takes in the man talking to him. "Mr. Carisi, isn't it?"

Mr. Carisi--Sonny to literally everyone in the office, Rafael is well-aware--gives him a quick nod and a brief smile that flashes his dimples. "It is." He holds out his hand. "I don't want to sound like a fanboy, but I do know your case history a bit."

"Hmm," Rafael says, shaking his hand. Carisi has a firm handshake, but it's not overpowering. Rafael can't help the half-smile that slips across his face as Carisi keeps looking at him with a mix of surprise, curiosity, and a bit of awe. "You know my case history, and you're surprised I'm at a barber shop in Brooklyn?"

Carisi looks around the barbershop and shrugs. He doesn't seem to notice he's still holding Rafael's hand. When Rafael easily takes his hand back, Carisi flashes him a quick, embarrassed look, but it smoothes back into a welcoming smile almost instantly. "Not that you're in Brooklyn. Just surprised you're at one that's so old-fashioned."

Rafael huffs a quiet chuckle. "There is something to be said for a hot towel shave with a straight razor."

"I agree," Carisi replies. "Just here for the shave, then?"

"A haircut and a manicure as well," Rafael says. 

"Hey, me, too." Carisi's smile turns a bit more personal. "You mind talking while you're getting the haircut and manicure? I won't bug you during the shave."

"Want to pick my brain, Counselor? From what I hear, you've had a good start with the DA's office." Rafael's eyes narrow when Carisi briefly looks away from him. "You don't want to pick my brain," he says. 

Carisi meets his eyes again and shrugs. The smile goes from friendly to a little bit sly. Rafael is man enough to admit it's a look that fits Carisi's features very well. Almost distractingly well. "The Klein case," Carisi says. 

Rafael snorts in disbelief. "No," he says. 

"You didn't even hear my argument."

"I don't need to," Rafael replies. "You think you're the first shiny new junior DA who's interrupted my day to try and get that case out of my grasp?"

"Not at all," Carisi says, and his casual confidence is possibly more attractive than the sly smile. "But I can bet you my argument is better than others you've heard."

Before Rafael can tell Carisi exactly where to stick his argument, both of their names are called by the receptionist. They end up--of course--in side-by-side chairs. Rafael expects Carisi to press his supposed argument, but Carisi ignores him, talking quietly to his barber as the man sharpens his straight razor with the strop and replies just as quietly. 

"How are you today, Mr. Barba?" Rafael's barber asks. 

"Just fine, thank you," Rafael replies. "Yourself?"

"It's been a good, busy day," his barber replies. That's as much talk as they ever have. Rafael's been coming here long enough his preferences and habits are well known. He'll get the hot shave, get half an inch taken off his cut, and get his nails filed, buffed, and painted with clear topcoat after a short soak and hand massage. 

He glances in the mirror, using it to cut a quick glance at Carisi. He's still chatting with his barber, smiling openly as the man tells him a story. Rafael's not surprised to see him be so friendly. Carisi's only been with the DA's office two months, but the rumor mill is in love with him. The man regularly brings in homemade desserts and travelers of good coffee. He apparently knows the name of damn near every assistant in the building, and even though he's coming from a background as a cop, he's already refused to play ball when a dirty cop came to him asking for help with a cover-up.

"Ready, Mr. Barba?" his barber asks. 

Rafael nods and tips his chin back, sighing in pleasure as the hot towel is wrapped over his face. He relaxes his shoulders as the heat penetrates his face. He can still hear Carisi talking quietly, but it's a pleasant background buzz as he settles into his routine. 

The shave is, as always, a soothing experience. Rafael's always found getting shaved a nearly meditative experience. His barber always moves in the same patterns across his face, and the sound of the razor scraping is oddly pleasing. 

Rafael doesn't open his eyes until his barber finishes clearing leftover flakes of shaving soap with another hot towel. He murmurs a quiet thank you as he takes his preferred aftershave from the man to apply it to his face. He looks into the mirror to briefly examine his shave and catches another look at Carisi. The man is very still, his whole body one long, relaxed line as he lets his barber handle his shave. His eyes are closed, and there's the barest hint of a smile on his face. 

Rafael's barber steps away for a moment to put away the shaving supplies, so Rafael allows himself to watch the end of Carisi's shave. He opens his eyes the moment his barber finishes the final swipe with the razor, and Rafael is struck at how blue his eyes are. 

"You always stare at a man getting a shave?" Carisi asks without looking at Rafael. "Or did I actually intrigue you by saying I had a better argument than what you've already heard for why I should get the Klein case?"

Rafael waits for Carisi to look at him before he rolls his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. I was just surprised you can stay quiet for an entire shave."

Carisi chuckles as he takes aftershave from his barber. "I like to talk. I don't like getting my throat slit." He pats the aftershave into his face without looking in the mirror. 

Rafael hums in reply, allowing a smile to play quickly across his own face. "And yet you're a DA."

"Oh, sorry, didn't know I needed to say I meant _literally_ getting my throat slit."

The chuckle that tumbles out of Rafael is unintentional, but the way Carisi quirks a smile at him makes the slip worth it. "What's your pitch on Klein?" Rafael asks. "I'm not saying you have a chance in hell I'll let you have it, but I'll let you argue."

"Flattering," Carisi deadpans. But he launches into his argument immediately, making his points as they both get their hair cut and their nails done. His arguments are interesting and clearly researched, with only a minimal personal pitch in the middle of it all.

"I'm just saying, you're talking about a Catholic kid who changed his story four times because he got assaulted by a classmate but felt like he had to keep the kid safe because he's a favorite of the nuns and he's a gay teenager in a Catholic high school. I can relate. Not on being assaulted, but I got bullied a lot and didn't want to name names because I didn't want to disappoint the nuns by telling them their favorites were assholes."

"And that makes you a better fit for this case than me--who has tried many, many more cases with imperfect victims?"

"I'm still a practicing Catholic," Carisi replies. "And I'm out to my family, my priest, and pretty much everyone at my parish. If anyone can explain to a jury how the various pressures of being a good Catholic can scare a young gay man into disclosing, recanting, and rephrasing, it's me."

Rafael considers that for a moment. "Noted," he says. "Now, go back to all the law you're prepared to quote."

Carisi does, slipping back into the legal side of the conversation easily. It's interesting for Rafael to hear the way he's pieced together his plan. His years as a cop have clearly influenced how he sees the law, but for once--and Rafael's met his share of cops-turned-lawyers--it's influenced him to better understand the gray areas where a good ADA can massage the law to better help victims rather than make him a soapbox preacher for law as a black-and-white rulebook. 

Rafael's barber finishes first, and Rafael stands and adjusts his waistcoat as Carisi's barber finishes the final buff on Carisi's nails. "You're not getting the case off of me," he says, catching Carisi's eyes in the mirror. "But your argument is definitely more interesting than the others I've heard."

Carisi considers the answer as his barber brushes loose hairs from his neck, then undoes his cape. "How about second chair?" he asks. "I'll do the grunt work; you'll get the glory."

And, god, that shouldn't be a tempting offer, and from most junior ADAs, Rafael would hate it outright. But Carisi's just pitched him a whole series of good legal arguments plus a downright unique personal argument. "Why aren't you out to everyone in your parish?"

Carisi narrows his eyes at the question. "Is there an answer to that question that'll get me disqualified from second chair?"

The shrewdness of the question makes it impossible for Rafael to keep pretending like his interest in Carisi's conversation is purely professional. He's engaging, friendly, and smart. He's been respectful of Rafael's time. His personal reputation around the office is only matched by his fast-growing professional reputation. "No," he says. "Just curious."

"I'm out to whoever asks. Not everyone has asked."

Rafael nods slowly and says nothing else as they both pay for services rendered and leave the barber shop. "Second chair, but we split the glory if you earn it."

Carisi's previous smiles have been nothing compared to the unfiltered ray of sunshine that's crossing his face now. "Oh, I'll earn it," he says. "Don't worry about that."

Rafael nods. "Good." He feels his own smile slide across his face. 

"And after I've done that," Carisi says as they take the stairs down to the subway, "maybe you'll let me buy you a drink."

There's a brief touch at the small of Rafael's back, the signal clear as a perfect day. Rafael finds he can't breathe evenly for a few seconds, the offer in that touch lighting him up from the inside. "Maybe I will," he replies. 

Carisi hums in approval, and Rafael glances at him as they stand on the subway platform. He looks confident and relaxed, the fresh shave making the skin on his cheek look soft, and the fresh trim showing the tiniest sliver of extra-pale skin behind his ears. He wonders what it'd be like to kiss a smile onto Carisi's face and turns away to check for the train. One step at a time, he thinks. They've got a trial to prep, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so it's less "steal a case" than "negotiate getting on the case," but I feel the spirit of the prompt is there.


End file.
